Last updated: 4 January 2025
When you are going on a trip to Palau, be sure to pack the appropriate travel plug adapter that fits the local sockets. But what do those electrical outlets look like? In Palau, types A & B are the official standard.
The voltage and frequency in Palau are the same as in the United States: 120 volts and 60 Hz.
Dangerous situation: a type B plug is still connected to the mains, even when it’s pulled halfway out!
There are two types of domestic wall outlets in use in Palau: the ungrounded type A (NEMA 1-15) and the grounded type B (NEMA 5-15).
The ungrounded type A plug has two flat parallel prongs. They are 1.5 mm thick, measuring 15.9 – 18.3 mm in length and spaced 12.7 mm apart. Type A plugs are generally polarised and can only be inserted one way because the two blades do not have the same width. The blade connected to neutral is 7.9 mm wide and the hot blade is 6.3 mm wide.
Type B plugs are similar to type A, but they also have a 4.8 mm diameter round or U-shaped earth pin, which is 3.2 mm longer than the two flat blades, so the device is grounded before the power is connected. Both plugs are rated at 15 A.
Type A and B plugs are not insulated (i.e. the pin shanks are not sleeved; they do not have a black covering towards the plug body like type C, G, I, L or N plugs) and the outlets are not recessed into the wall, which means that if a the plug is pulled halfway out, its prongs are still connected to the socket. Type A and B sockets are notoriously dangerous, since the distance between the receptacle and a partially pulled-out plug is big enough to touch the pins with your fingers or with a metal object such as a teaspoon.
Click here for a global map showing the spread of the different plug types used around the world.
Click here for a detailed list of the countries of the world with their respective plug and outlet types, voltage and frequency.
